Treacle & Ginger Tart

Ingredients

A little bit of glacé ginger adds subtle heat and spiciness to
this classic. If you use shop-bought shortcrust pastry, choose an
all-butter one.

FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY:

200g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

A pinch of salt

110g butter

1 large egg yolk

FOR THE FILLING:

700ml golden syrup

25g unsalted butter

100ml whipping cream

50g glacé ginger (stem ginger in syrup), finely
chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

275g fresh white breadcrumbs

TO SERVE:

Custard or vanilla ice cream

Method

For the pastry, place the flour, salt and butter in a food
processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons cold water and process until
about to form a ball. On a floured work surface, bring the dough
together to form a smooth ball. Press into a rough circle about
15cm diameter, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge form15
minutes.

Roll out the dough on the floured surface; the pastry needs to
be large enough to line a 23cm loose­ bottomed tart tin. Leave the
lined tin to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to
200°C/fan oven 180°C/mark 5. Prick the base of the tart with a
fork, then place a large sheet of greaseproof paper inside the tart
and fill with baking beans or dried pulses. Bake for 15 minutes,
then carefully lift out the greaseproof paper and beans. Reduce
heat to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/mark 4 and bake the tart for a further
8-10 minutes until the base feels firm and is slightly golden.
Remove from the oven. Reduce heat to 150°C/fan oven 130°C/mark
2.

For the filling, place the golden syrup, butter, cream, ginger
and a pinch of salt in a large saucepan and stir over a low heat
until the butter has melted. Take off the heat and leave to cool
before beating in the eggs. Stir in the breadcrumbs, then pour into
the pas­try case. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove from
the oven and leave for 15 minutes before serving.

To drink: Very sweet Muscat, from Beaumes
de Venise, Rivesaltes or Chile: try Sainsbury's Muscat de
Rivesaltes de St-Jean de Minervois, £4.99 for 37.5cl.